Author's Notes: And once again, another fast chapter. This one's slightly shorter than the others, but the big events here should more than make up for it.

Again, I don't have too much to say here. Last chapter has seen the theories and speculation coming out in the reviews, but I'm afraid that since I'm getting to some of the core events of my story, I can no longer answer reviews without fear of creating spoilers. You'll just have to be patient and read the story as it comes out to find out these things from now on.

Once again, my beta "DiamondGirl400" was unavailable for this chapter, so any goofs and errors are entirely mine.

Thank you once again to all readers, and especially those who have faved, alerted and reviewed. You can all take some small credit for contributing to my current run of good inspiration!

As always, happy reading!

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Chapter 30

Family Feud

For several long moments, all Starfall could do was stare at the stallion in the doorway, scarcely able to believe it. The dark, midnight-blue coat covering a muscular, clearly strong body. A short faded blue mane done up in a spiky, slightly windswept style. Bright blue eyes, highly similar to Starfall's own, though they exuded much more confidence than the yellow pegasus' much more timid orbs ever could. But the definitive factor was the cutie mark; a miniature depiction of the constellation Orion. Despite the years that had passed since they had last met or even spoken, Starfall was absolutely certain he was staring at his older brother: Star Hunter.

"Wait...is this really your brother, Starfall?" Derpy's voice once more pulled Starfall out of his thoughts, making him look at her, hesitating a moment before giving her a small nod, which seemed to shock her even more. "But you've never mentioned any family before, Starfall. Why haven't you said anything about him?" she asked, clearly puzzled, especially as Starfall showed clear reluctance to answer...the conversation was mere seconds old, and already moving into very awkward, dangerous territory.

Star Hunter, however, seemed to have no qualms about answering Derpy's question, though his voice was surprisingly cold in tone when he spoke. "I'm honestly surprised he's even got friends left to talk to about us, but refusing to speak of family is typical of him," he said, now adopting a sort of sneer as he turned his harsh gaze on Starfall, who actually backed off a half-step. "Your conscience has finally come around to haunt you, hasn't it? You're ashamed...and rightly so, after everything that happened."

Starfall cringed at the hostile tone and words his older brother was using. The younger pegasus had hoped that, after the years that had passed, hostilities might have settled somewhat. But it was obvious that Star Hunter was still as unforgiving and enraged as ever. "Hunter, I..." Starfall tried to say something, still not really sure what, but Derpy was quick to cut over him, giving Hunter a solid glare that gave Starfall pause. He'd never seen Derpy angry, before.

"That was uncalled for, mister!" she cried back, stunning not only Starfall, but Hunter as well, who obviously had not expected the verbal lashing he was getting, either. "Starfall has never done anything to deserve being talked to that!" While Starfall was grateful the young mare was standing up in his defence, he personally thought that her effort were not only futile, but unknowingly dishonest, too. As much as he hated to admit, Star Hunter did have a point...there was a reason he never talked about his past with anypony, not even Princess Luna.

"Oh?" Hunter said, rapidly recovering from Derpy's retorted, clearly not believing her. "And how would you know this? Has Starfall told you anything about his past before he met you? Or has he kept you in the dark about that as much as he's kept you in the dark about our family?" he asked, the question clearly giving Derpy pause, Starfall knowing he had not told her anything about his past, and that she was likely putting all this together, and drawing her own conclusions from it.

Hoping to end this confrontation before it got ugly, and before he'd have to answer a lot of awkward questions against his will, Starfall tried to waylay the direction the argument was taking. "Come on, Derpy, you have to finish your rounds," he said, trying to guide her back towards the street. "I'll explain later, but now we need to go," he added hurriedly, not bothering in trying to disguise his desire to get away from his brother...it was much to late to hide the obvious tension and hostility there.

Hunter, however, was not about to let his little brother off that easily. "You think you can keep running from this, Starfall?" he yelled, making the pegasus stop briefly. "You think you can just run away and pretend it never happened?! It's way too late for that, brother!" The older pegasus spat, the derisive tone the last word was laced with unmistakable. This was far, far more than a simple sibling feud, and even Derpy could see it, clear as day.

Derpy also stopped, turning back to the yellow pegasus, Starfall pointedly avoiding her gaze as she tried to look directly at him. "Starfall, what's he saying? What does he mean by that?" she asked, starting to sound a little distressed. She clearly had not expected such a vicious fight to break out so rapidly, and was clearly being left uncomfortable by it, a thought that sent a guilty pang through Starfall. She was not involved in this, she did not deserve to be caught in the middle of it.

Hunter just snorted at Derpy's question. "Of course you would ask that, Derpy," he replied, the derogatory inflection he used when speaking Derpy's name making it clear what he thought of the young pegasus mare. "I doubt your damaged brain would understand, even if Starfall had told you."

The obviously slight made towards Derpy's mild mental condition clearly struck a nerve with the young pegasus, who recoiled back as if Star Hunter had physically struck her. "I..." she stammered, obviously starting to reply, before seeming to think better of it, clearly hurting as she turned back to Starfall. "I'd better finish these rounds, Starfall...I'll see you later, I guess...okay?" she asked, turning and galloping off before Starfall could reply, or apologise for his brother's behaviour.

Starfall watched her go for a few moments, before turning back and glaring at Hunter. "That was cruel, Hunter...even for you," he said quietly, but with a subtle hint of anger. Starfall's temper generally had a long fuse, but seeing a mare he considered a friend hurt like that was making that fuse burn away rapidly.

Hunter shrugged. "Doesn't make it any less true. Same goes for you, Starfall...I'm not happy seeing you, even after all these years," he said coldly, making Starfall cringe and back off again. "Or have you, of all ponies, forgotten what happened at Stratos Crossing? What you did..."

"I didn't do anything, Hunter!" Starfall cried, interrupting his brother, though the guilt was still there in his voice, mingling with the shaky conviction he held in his own innocence. "I tried to stop it, brother, I really did..."

Hunter, however, seemed to grow angrier at Starfall's apparent denial, stepping forward, successfully intimidating the smaller, leaner stallion. "Stop lying, Starfall!" he growled. "You can lie to yourself about your involvement in that disaster all you want, but don't lie to me!"

"Brother, I swear to you, on my wings!" Starfall cried back, desperately trying to placate his enraged brother. Hunter was always the more headstrong of the two of them, and always the stronger physically as well...if the younger pegasus couldn't calm his sibling down, there was a chance Hunter could turn violent in expression his rage. "Nopony would listen to me until it was too late! Do you really think I wanted it to happen? That I wanted to see all those ponies killed so pointlessly?!"

Starfall blinked a few times, feeling his eyes watering up, and forcibly trying to hold the tears back. The memory of that day was always an emotional one for Starfall, but his family, particularly Hunter, hated seeing weakness in stallions, and naturally considered crying in front of others to be one. So he fought back his emotions with everything he had, knowing Hunter would just make an even bigger scene if he broke down here.

But Hunter seemed to dismiss Starfall's protests, not even looking at his brother at this point. "I'm not a physic, Starfall," he spat, a strange tone lacing his voice with those words...one that made Starfall cringe even further. "How am I supposed to know why you do anything, any more?"

Starfall grimaced, hanging his head. He knew what Hunter was referring to with those comments, and that just made them sting all the more. "That's not fair, Hunter..." he said softly, unable to mask the hurt in his tone. "I didn't choose to have that..."

"But you chose to use it!" Hunter roared back, once again making Starfall back off fearfully, his wings partially extending as his flight instincts started to kick in. "And look what happened! I don't care whether you meant it or not, Starfall! Your freaky talent destroyed our lives!" he yelled, before snorting as he saw the pained, clearly upset look on Starfall's face. "And there it is...too weak to stand up for yourself normally, so you ended up turning into some kind of unnatural thing, instead," he sneered, rolling his eyes as Starfall's hurt expression intensified.

Starfall couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew his brother had thought what had happened during that disaster was strange and suspicious...but this was new to the younger stallion. Had his brother really come to hate him that much in the time that had passed. "Brother, please," he begged. "You don't..."

"Don't call me that, Starfall," Hunter snapped, cutting over the yellow pegasus. "I don't care what anypony says...no brother of mine would betray his family like that! You're not my brother, and I don't want anything more to do with you, so get lost!" he yelled, a tense silence descending over the scene, before Hunter snarling, rearing at Starfall when the younger stallion didn't immediately move. "I said get out of here, Starfall! I don't want to see your face ever again...and neither does the rest of your family!"

At Hunter's threatening gesture, Starfall finally caved, his wings beating frantically as pushed himself up and away from his brother, though even as he turned to leave, he caught Hunter's last comments...and of everything that had been said, they stung the most. He had hoped that, after the rather bitter parting of the ways he had gone through with not only his brother, but his parents as well, that time would have helped heal the wounds...at least enough to be able to talk to them, again.

But, judging by his brother's venomous words, it seemed that even his parents still had not forgiven him for that day, and as Starfall fled back towards the Everfree Motel, the pain and loneliness that thought left him feeling caused his tears to finally start falling, the pegasus roughly wiping them away with a hoof, trying to stem the tide as he hurried back towards the motel.

But even as he hurried through the lobby and up the stairs towards his room, the tears kept coming, streaking down his cheeks, though he managed to keep his sobs contained long enough to reach the privacy of his room. The moment he had slammed the door shut behind him, though, it all came out, the pain of having to take such harsh words from his brother finally getting the outlet it was seeking as he collapsed heavily onto a couch in the corner of his room, trying to bring himself under control.

He just couldn't understand...how could Hunter, even after all these years, still hate him so much? How could the older sibling still believe in his guilt, now, after all these years? He'd done absolutely everything he could to prevent it...right?

The self-doubt began to creep into Starfall's mind as he looked back over what had happened? Had he done everything? Was there more he could have done to stop it that he should have been aware of at the time? He thought he had analysed his actions completely well before now...but maybe Hunter was seeing something he couldn't?

But even as Starfall reluctantly went back to the memory of that day, and the days preceding it, he knew Hunter's problem didn't lie in any kind of inaction on his part...but the simple fact that, in his association with the disaster, they believed he had a hoof in causing it, and for all his actions in trying to prevent catastrophe...he had failed. To Hunter, and his parents, it did not matter whether he caused it or not, or that he tried to stop it or not. The fact was the he had failed to stop it...and to them, that was completely, totally and utterly unforgivable.

But before Starfall could totally delve into the worst time in his life, he heard a faint creak as the door to his room opened, the noise accompanied by the faint, unidentifiable sound associated with magic being performed. Sighing shakily, wishing he had put up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door when he had arrived, he tried to compose himself enough to speak. "Whoever it is, room service, whatever, please just come back another time," he said softly, not even bothering to raise his head beyond the couch he was resting on.

"Starfall?" The voice made Starfall freeze. No... he thought, burying his head deeper into the cushion he was leaning into. Not her...please, let it be anypony but her now... he begged, praying to Celestia for a break, just this once.

"Starfall, what has happened?" But, in defiance of Starfall's prayers, Princess Luna's voice spoke up once more, the sound of hoofsteps and the door clicking shut confirming that she was in the room, and seemed to have no intention of leaving any time soon. "What did that vile stallion say to thee to cause such pain?" she asked, her voice teetering on the very edge of her magical amplification that signified she was enraged...but holding a level of concern that took the edge of it, and gave Starfall pause.

"Princess?" he asked, trying to wipe his eyes and control his quiet sobs as inconspicuously as possible, before slowly turning to face her, propping himself up on the couch a bit better. "I...how do you know about that?" he asked. He could not recall the Princess witnessing his argument with Hunter, but then again, he had been focused pretty intently on his brother's venomous behaviour, so probably did not notice her if she was there.

"We were searching for you, and heard you had travelled to that district with Miss Derpy Hooves," she explained. "When we arrived, we witnessed thy friend leaving, in apparent distress, but by the time we attempt to approach, thou was already leaving, and were clearly in even more distress. We saw enough to determine that this stallion thou had met had said some cruel and vile things. Dost thou know him from a previous time?" she finally asked, Starfall averting his gaze and pointedly remaining silent. It was bad enough meeting Hunter under these circumstances...he did not want to have to talk about this.

But he could see the Princess' face adopt a frown at his silence, and knew that she was not going to let this go so easily. "Starfall, thou needs to talk about this. Thou cannot keep hiding these things? Why art thou so intent on keeping these troubles to thyself?" she asked, stepping closer as Starfall's distress rose back up again, burying his head in the cushion again as he felt his tears rising back to the surface.

But before he could pull himself under control, he felt Luna place a hoof gently on his back, the gentle gesture only making the tears come that much harder, despite his efforts to control them. He did not want the Princess to see him like this. He had tried so hard to prove himself to her, both in his studies and his strength to take whatever was thrown at him. But this...this was undoing everything...

"Starfall..." Luna once more called to him, though this time her tone seemed much more gentle, causing Starfall to stop. She wasn't telling him to grow up or get over it. She actually sounded like she...wanted to help. "What art thou not telling us?" she finally asked, a second hoof trailing under his chin, Starfall reluctantly allowing her to pull his chin up so she could look at his tear-streaked face. "Thou hast never been this upset, before. We beg thee, Starfall...do not leave us in the dark."

With the Princess staring at him so intently, forcing him to look into her cyan eyes, to see the care there. She was clearly worried by how upset he had become, and was trying to help him as best she could. The fact that she was not demanding he tell her everything straight off was a testament to the success his lessons to her about modern society had been...that, and how far their friendship had recovered.

Sighing, unable to deny the Princess' request upon seeing the worry in her regal features, he gently pried her hoof of his chin, allowing him to lie back down on the couch and avert his gaze, though he tried to appease Luna somewhat by resisting the urge to bury his away. "I...I've never talked about my family, before, Luna," he started, almost feeling the Princess' eyebrow raise at his sudden change of topic. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, and wipe away the fresh tears, before pushing on. "I...there's a reason why I've never mentioned them. That...blue stallion...he's my older brother."

"What?" Luna's surprised cry was not wholly unexpected by Starfall, but it still made him look up, catching the horrified shock on her face before she looked back at him and responded properly. "But...why would thy own brother treat thee so coldly?" she asked, making Starfall cringe again.

There it was, the heart of the whole matter. Starfall knew the Princess well enough by now to know that she would not rest until she had the whole story out of them. The strangest part for him, though, was that part of him wanted to tell her about what happened. It was a part of his life he had always been too ashamed of to speak about. But the Princess was a friend...perhaps it was time.

"I..." Starfall paused, hesitating. Did he really want this? Did he really want to tell his story to her? He was terrified she, like his family, would blame him for what happened, and that this, like his crush on her, could spell the end of his studies, and their friendship. But in the end, he realised it was too late. The Princess was too curious, and he was long overdue in getting this off his chest. "I guess it all goes back a few years..."